The Curse of the Law

"For as many as are of works of law are under a curse, for it hath been written, `Cursed is every one who is not remaining in all things that have been written in the Book of the Law -- to do them,' and that in law no one is declared righteous with God, is evident, because `The righteous by faith shall live;' and the law is not by faith, but -- `The man who did them shall live in them.' Christ did redeem us from the curse of the law, having become for us a curse, for it hath been written, `Cursed is every one who is hanging on a tree,' that to the nations the blessing of Abraham may come in Christ Jesus, that the promise of the Spirit we may receive through the faith." (Galatians 3:10-14 - Young's Literal Translation)

If a person wants to be right with God through the law, he must keep the whole law. He cannot, like some do, pick and choose what laws he will obey. And once he breaks a law, any law, he is cursed and condemned. This is why the law cannot save a person. No one can perfectly keep the law.

Law defines what makes a person guilty. It has no provision for making a guilty person innocent. The law condemns. It cannot justify.

The just are to live by faith. The law is not of faith because it is of the flesh. It is physical. The law’s focus is on what we do. A person with no faith can try to keep the law.

Faith’s focus is on what we believe. Faith is what is in our heart. This is what is really important to God. Godly actions are to be a result of faith not out of a legalistic obligation.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. We do not have to fear the penalty for our sin. The word translated redeemed means to purchase a slave for the purpose of setting him free. We might use the word ransom. Jesus paid the ransom to free us from the power of the law and its condemnation.

The price of our ransom was the life of Christ. He took upon Himself our condemnation. He suffered in our place. He became cursed of God so that we would not be. He did this that we could receive the blessing of Abraham. He did this so that the Holy Spirit could cover us in the righteousness of Christ and live Jesus’ life through us.

We do not need to keep the law in order to be right with God. Abraham believed and was made righteous without the law. Christ paid the ransom demanded by the law.

Paul’s opponents might answer his reasoning in this chapter with this logic. “Yes, it is true that Abraham was justified without the law. However, that was because God had not yet given the law. Once God gave the law, then everyone was obligated to keep it. God’s way of dealing with the patriarchs was a temporary situation.”

Paul answers this objection in the next few verses.

Faithful Abraham

" Even as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.' Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you all the nations will be blessed.' So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham." (Galatians 3:6-9 - World English Bible)

Paul’s first pure theological argument in this book begins with this passage. His opponents claimed to be upholding the Law of Moses. Paul goes back in time to before Moses and discusses the faith of Abraham. Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel. The Bible calls him, the friend of God. Albert Barnes, in his commentary on this book, explains clearly the argument that Paul puts forward. He writes, “Abraham believed God, and was justified before the Law of Moses was given. It could not, therefore, be pretended that the law was necessary for justification; for if it had been, Abraham could not have been saved. But if not necessary in his case; it was in no other.”

Moses, in Genesis, wrote that Abraham believed God and righteousness was put on his account. This occurred, not only when there was no law, but years before Abraham was circumcised. Abraham was considered righteous before God when he was a Gentile.

The phrase “those who are of faith” is in contrast to “those of the circumcision,” who were Paul’s opponents. We might call these groups the Faith Party and the Circumcision Party. Now the Circumcision Party was proud of their religious heritage of Judaism. They bragged about being children of Abraham in the flesh, and of keeping the Law of Moses.

However, Paul says that the real children of Abraham, the spiritual kids of Abraham, were those of the Faith Party. Those, who like Abraham, believed God and were now righteous in His eyes on the basis of faith and grace. God spoke of Abraham’s Gentile spiritual kids when He told Abraham that “in you all the nations shall be blessed.”

So those of the Faith Party are blessed with Abraham who like them believed God. Paul continues, in verse ten, by stating that rather than being blessed, the Circumcision Party was cursed!

Because You Believe

"Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" (Galatians 3:5 - New Revised Standard Version)

God had given the Galatians gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit’s power had been manifested among them. God had blessed them. Why? He had not done it because of their works of the law, because these Gentile believers had never obeyed the law. God had blessed them because of their faith.

If God, in the past, had blessed them for their faith, what made the Galatians think that they needed to obey the law for Him to bless them in the future? This made no sense. If God gives the greatest gift, salvation, by grace through faith, will He give lesser gifts only because of obedience to the law? This makes no sense.

The Galatians seemed to have forgotten that all that they had in Christ came through faith. Paul reminds them and us. We are to walk by faith, not by sight. We are to live by the power of the Spirit, not by the strength of the flesh. We are to live in the liberty of Grace, not the bondage of the law.